


Moments In Between

by lorir_writes



Series: The Five Stages [4]
Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship/Love, Multi, Smut, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-17 10:02:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17558294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorir_writes/pseuds/lorir_writes
Summary: Drake needs to look for a wedding gift to Liam and has no idea of what to get. Luckily, he has a little help from a friend





	1. Apologies

New York was a huge city with many stores and the search for a good gift was a nightmare. Drake was never that good with buying gifs, especially to someone who always had everything, but the truth is that Drake felt guilty. He has been so involved in the plot investigation, concerned about Savannah and lost in feelings for Jade that he forgot about Liam, one of the few people who care about him. He had to give something in return. Wandering in the streets, he entered a jewelry store.  _Maybe he’ll like to have a new watch._

“Are you lost or something?” her lively voice echoed in the room. 

_Oh no…_ Drake took a deep breath before turning to her. “Ha ha.”

“Seriously, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for a wedding gift to Liam.”

“In the necklace section?” She curled her lips at the gold chain necklace Drake was looking at. “Liam is a king, not a rapper, Drake.”

He sighed. “Great, I’m out of options here.”

“What were you planning to buy?”

“I don’t know, everything is above my price rate here.”

“Drake, Liam doesn’t wear any other accessories besides a watch and cufflinks and I’m sure he has many of those. Maybe you should look for something else.”

“That makes sense. Thanks." 

"Don’t mention it,” she gave him a sad smile. 

He turned away, then stopped. This is the first time they talked since their fight in Shanghai and it isn’t how he wants to leave things with her. “Hey, can you help me find a gift for Liam?”

“Sure, let me just pick up Madeleine’s wedding band.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Why are you picking up her wedding band?”

“She said it’ll be a way for me to thank her for letting me be part of the engagement tour and still be in Liam’s life.”

“That’s mean, even if it’s Madeleine we’re talking about." 

"She says she doesn’t hate me, but it’s exactly this kind of bullshit she pulls that makes me think otherwise. In any case, I’m taking the high road here,” Jade shrugged.

He stood quietly as Jade waited for the clerk to come back with the ring. He felt attracted to Madeleine, but he wasn’t sure he could go through with the arrangement. She was devious to practically everybody. He usually wouldn’t care about any of his casual sex partners were a model of great citizens, however, he didn’t get to know the others. Olivia was the only exceptions. The other women were just a one-time thing.  _Well, Olivia is known for being a ruthless person and we fucked for years, so accepting this would something like that? What’s with the cruel women obsession?_

“Drake?” Her brown knitted.

“Huh?” He replied inattentively.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s do it.” Drake walked out of the jewelry store and tried to shake the idea of messing Madeleine’s hair by pulling it while he fucked her from behind.

The search for Liam’s gift was exhausting, but they found something great. He spent the whole day walking down the streets of Manhattan with Jade and they had fun like never before. However, they haven’t said a single word about the fight in China and he wasn’t the kind of the guy who just sweeps the dirt under the rug. 

Drake leaned on the railing of the Hudson riverbank as Jade contemplated the sunset. “We need to talk about the last time we spoke. I’m sorry I called you a whore. I can’t just act like a jealous boyfriend and get mad every time you’re with him.”

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have let you waiting for me for hours. And I could have been more tactful with your feelings.”

He smiled, but his expression quickly turned into a frown. “Wait, you slapped me. Aren’t you sorry for that?”

“No, you deserved it because you called me whore twice but you didn’t apologized for it. I can’t let it become a habit.”

“Oh…” he looked down and scratched his head. “I’m sorry about all the times I called you a whore. I was angry at you because you chose him, but I have to respect your decision.”

“Thank you. And regardless of your apologies, I’m sorry for slapping you. I know it was out of line and I shouldn’t have done that.”

“So you just like giving me hard time?” His mouth set into a hard line.

“No, I want you to apologize and mean it. Even though I would have forgiven you either way,” she looked at him from the corner of the eye, hiding a smile.

He shook his head and smiled, “It’s okay.” He placed an arm around her shoulder as she returned the hug by putting her arm around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder.

An awkward silence took over the moment. Drake wanted to be okay with the situation, but he wasn’t. And Jade could sense it. “Hey, do you think we can manage to be around each other without fighting? Or should I give you some space?”

He wished he knew the right answer to her questions and find a way that could the best for both of them. But he didn’t. Instead, he gave the only one he had. “I don’t know, Bourbon. I truly don’t.”


	2. Guidance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drake begins to question his own actions regarding his friendship with Jade and Liam and his sexual encounters with other ladies and seeks the help of his most reasonable friend.

image  
Drake has been keeping himself busy in the past few days. After Jade cleared her name, he avoided her at all costs. Liam had announced his engagement with her that morning and Drake knew she wanted to be out in the open with Liam, so he reduced his presence in their lives slowly, only showing up whenever Maxwell and Hana were there. He had to focus on something else. Or somebody else. 

His secret night visits to Madeleine became a daily activity and the same thing happened everytime he had a chance to sneak out into Kiara’s room. However, no matter how many people he spent the night with, something ached inside him and he didn’t know how to deal with it. He didn’t expect to feel so alone even when one of the ladies were still with him. He needed to talk to someone. And there were only a few people he’d be willing to talk to.

He stepped outside the palace and walked past the garden, towards the stables. Hana was riding Twilight Dash. Her cocoa brown hair flew on the wind as she trotted around the field with the competition horse. She is a great friend and remarkable at many things. Maybe it includes advice? Jade always feels more at ease everytime she talks to Hana. Drake leaned on the wood fence and watched her doing dressage movements. When she spotted him, she smiled and waved, leading the horse into his direction.

“Hey, Drake!” She beamed.

“Hey, Hana! Those were some nice movements.”

“Thank you,” she pulled the reins and the horse immediately kneeled and bowed.

“Show off…” a corner of his mouth lifted.

She giggled. “Do you want to have some quality time with Twilight Dash? I know you’re very fond of him.”

“Actually, I was hoping to have a quality time with you. You said that I ever needed to talk…” His hand involuntarily rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh, of course. I’ll be right out.” She led the horse out of the field and got down. Pulling the reins forward, Hana guided the horse to his stall and Drake followed, giving some water and vegetables the stablemen left for Twilight Dash. He handed a carrot to the horse and smiled.

“You’re good with horses,” Hana acknowledged.

“They’re easy to deal with. Give them some food and water and everything else will go smoothly. People are the complicated ones.”

“Hmm… Are you talking about someone specifically?”

“Yeah,” he nodded looking away. “Me.”

“Okay, we can’t talk about serious matters on an empty stomach. Let’s get some snacks first.” She held out his hand and they walked to the kitchen. On the way, she quickly pulled her hair into a messy bun and for some reason, he couldn’t stop looking at the nape of her neck. As soon as they arrived in the kitchen, Hana began to fetch ingredients for sandwiches on the refrigerator. “Can you grab a frying pan for me? I’m going to stir-fry us some steak and vegetables.”

“Are you spoiling me, Hana?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I always look for excuses to spoil my friends,” she looked over her shoulder and beamed.

Drake stifled a smile and asked a servant for the frying pan, two plates, and two glasses. “Thank you,” Hana smiled and placed everything she got on the kitchen isle. She began to add raw onions rings and olive oil in the frying pan and marched to stove to cook. The sweet smell of onions combined with the oil spread through the kitchen and she added pieces of steak, carrots, mushrooms and a few condiments. “Can you assemble those ingredients while I cook this?” 

“Sure thing,” he placed the bread on the plates and added mustard, mayonnaise, sliced tomatoes, lettuce and Swiss cheese. When he turned to look at her, he watched mesmerized Hana mixing the content of the frying pan, lifting in the air and catching it back with minimum effort, “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Don’t tell Maxwell or Jade because they taught me a bunch of times, but… I don’t know to add filters on Pictagram stories.”

Drake laughed. 

“And don’t even get me started on GIFs. How do they find those things?”

“I can teach you later if you want,” he said grinning. She nodded smiling and turned off the stove, added the steak and vegetables over the swiss cheese and closed the sandwiches with another slice of bread. He poured peach and orange juice into the glasses. “Do you mind if we eat in the backyard?”

“Not at all,” she took the plates. “Let’s go.” They walked outside and sat on the patio chairs, placing their snack on the table. They took a few bites and talked about random subjects during the meal. When they finished eating, the servants came to collect the plates and add more juice to their glasses. “I believe you didn’t come talk to me about gravy and meat combinations, so tell me what’s going on.”

He took a deep breath before starting to speak. “I like this girl, but she is with somebody else. There’s no chance for us, she made it clear. So I’m kind of avoiding her and I got involved with some other women because I thought they would be a good distraction.”

“What kind of distraction?” Her brows drew together.

“Umm…” he scratched his head as he searched for words to describe it. “I don’t know how to explain this to you without scarring you for life.”

“Oh,” her cheeks turned into a light shade of red. “I think I know what you mean. Continue.”

“So I’ve been doing this for days and I feel…” his brows furrowed. “Empty.”

“Do you know why do you feel this way?”

“No.”

“Think harder, Drake. When did you start to feel this void inside you?”

“I guess that when I learned about Jad-” his mouth snapped shut.

“When you learned that Jade and Liam were engaged?”

“Well, yeah…” He felt his cheeks heat. However, he already let her name slip, so why bother hiding anymore? “But it began the night before after Madeleine told me.”

“Madeleine is one of the ladies you have been with?” She gawked at him.

“Stop looking at me like that, she’s not that bad,” his nose wrinkled.

“Try to be her lady in waiting for one day, then come back to talk to me about it.”

“Kiara says the same thing.”

“Wha… who else are you ‘distracting yourself’ with?” 

“It’s just them. Olivia dismissed me because she thinks I get too emotional with I’m in love. Even though I said I wasn’t.”

“But you are.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he shrugged. They stood in silence for a few moments. “So… Any piece of advice for me?”

“I don’t know if I’m the best person to give you advice about that,” she looked away.

“I know you didn’t have these kinds of experiences before, but you’re smart, kind and reasonable. I know you can give me some good advice. Come on, give me your best shot.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, do it. Be brutally honest if you have to.”

“Fine. I think you need to stop fucking your troubles away.”

His jaw fell open.

“What? You said I could be brutally honest.”

“I know, I just didn’t think you would go through with it.”

“You won’t get the sugarcoated version of this lecture because I know you won’t take it seriously. Stop fucking all these women. Let yourself feel bad for being rejected. Cry, break stuff if you need to, but stop hiding the truth from yourself. You’re hurt, Drake. You need to feel the pain to make it go away.”

He stared at her for a moment amazed by how she changed since she got to Cordonia for the first time. “Remind me of never asking for the brutally honest side of you again.”

“You’re not taking it seriously…” she pursed her lips.

“No, no. I am. You just caught me off guard here. And this is all easier said than done.”

Hana shook her head. “I understand you’re living a tough moment, but don’t say it’s easy for me. I would never want you to suffer. You’re my friend, Drake. You’re a great guy, you’re so much fun, and you’re loyal and caring. You don’t deserve any of it.” She took his hand on hers. “But you have to. Otherwise, you’ll remain suffering for a long time.” 

Their eyes met and he placed his free hand above hers. They stared at each other and a deep connexion was established between them as if they could speak without words. They didn’t need to do anything else. The simple exchange of looks and touch of their hands was everything they wanted.

“Excuse me,” a servant approached them. Hana pulled her hands away and blushing. “Can I offer you anything else?”

Drake cleared his throat. “No, I’m good. Hana?” He looked at her. She shifted uncomfortably on her seat, adjusting the hem of her skirt and shook her head.

“No, thank you.”

The servant bowed and left.

“I should probably go. I think I took too much of your time, Hana. I didn’t mean to.”

“Don’t worry about it. I like your company, ” she smiled shyly.

“I could say the same about you, my lady,” he said studying her delicate features turning crimson again. “Thank you for all this, Hana. The sandwich, the talking, the not talking…” he leaned forward, gazing at her.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, battling her lashes discreetly but avoiding his eye contact.

“Are you going back to your room?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll escort you to your room then,” he stood up and held out his hand. She took his hand and he helped her stand up. They walked side by side towards the west wing of the palace making small talk as their hands slightly brushed. This was refreshingly new to him. The emptiness was still there, but at least he knew he didn’t have to go through it alone.


	3. Exploring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To stay away from Jade, Drake found himself a new distraction - getting closer to Hana.

Letting go of Jade wasn’t easy. What he felt for her wasn’t a silly crush, he loved her and she was his friend. That was surely the worst part. He wasn’t just giving up a woman he loved, he also lost a friend, someone he trusted, someone who listened to him, someone who could make him laugh and have fun with. Yet, he couldn’t be around her like before. She needed to focus on being the future Queen and support Liam and he needed to forget her. For good. Otherwise, life in Cordonia would be impossible.

On the process of losing Jade, he got closer to a few other people. Olivia for one. He knew her since they were kids, but she was never his friend. They were fuckbuddies, at most. Now she was actually a caring person, fun to be around and sex with her was fantastic. But his biggest surprise was Hana. Not that they weren’t friends before, but they weren’t as close as they became since the day he told her about everything he went through. They were quite often together doing different things.

“Relax your shoulders,” she ordered as she tapped his shoulder gently. They sway across the room as the waltz reaches a crescendo.

“Again? Isn’t dancing about legs and feet?” Drake nagged.

“No. Because if it was, you wouldn’t be here.”

“Remind me again why are we doing this instead of doing, I don’t know… anything else?”

“Dance is a form of communication. Your body language says a lot about you and how you feel while you’re dancing.” Hana asserted. “As a Cordonian Knight who is also single, you’re expected to know how to dazzle people with your ability to court through the dance. Remember, this is a dance meant for lovers.”

Drake narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to retort, but Hana raised an eyebrow at him as if she knew what he was going to say and he chose to be quiet. The silence didn’t last long. “So I guess we should close the distance between us?” A corner of his mouth lifted. Before she could say anything, his hand ran down to the small of her back and he pressed her body against his. Her cheeks began to redden. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Is it okay?” he murmured.

“Yes,” Hana said, a little breathless. “Spin me around.” He obliged, spinning her around, but he held her, his hand over hers clasping her back on his chest, his lips next to her ear. She felt his warm breath against her ear and goosebumps formed along her neck and shoulders.

“How am I doing?”

“Good,” she took a deep breath, recomposing herself. “You’re getting it. This position is perfect to make conversation.”

“You mean court my dance partner?”

“Yes.”

He smiled roguishly and rested his head on her shoulder. “Your hair smells heavenly,” he whispered, then turn her around. She blushed even more than she did before. He smiled. His eyes fixed on her lips. He leaned in, but before their lips met, a servant walked in with a tray of refreshments. They pulled away and headed to the table where refreshments were placed on. “So… Am I getting any better at this?”

“Yes, I think that’s it. You’ve learned everything you need to know about Cordonian Waltz,” Hana sipped her iced tea, hiding a small smile behind the glass.

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow to teach you sword fight.”

“You can’t fight, Drake. You’re still healing.”

Once again, he thought about making an acid comment, yet he didn’t. If it was anyone else, he wouldn’t even think twice. But it was Hana. “Fine. I’ll figure something out. See you at dinner.”

“See you then.”

##  **…**

Babysitting Bartie was Drake’s new favorite activity and Savannah couldn’t be happier. She needed some rest after months taking care of her child by herself and Drake gladly offered to watch him during the afternoon to give his little sister some child-free moments and bond with his nephew. But as he came back from Savannah’s room, he heard a noise coming from one of the ladies’ room. Though, it sounded more like a whimper. Knowing pretty well whose lady that room belonged to, a wide grin crossed his face and he hid in the janitor closet next to her bedroom.

Hana rolled over her bed rubbing her fingers on her sensitive nub. Jade’s lecture about how important it was to get to know her own body did make sense now. It was marvelous. She hasn’t felt this good about her body since she read Wuthering Heights when the tingling sensation first started. She grabbed a pillow and placed between her thighs, moving her sex in circles, back and forth.

Drake listened to her moaning. She wasn’t loud as Jade, dirty like Madeleine, or aggressive like Olivia. Her noises were like a whisper, a little husky, but so seductive. He wondered what she was doing and if this is why she was so quiet. Her small whimpers made him stiff, his cock throbbing inside his jeans, but he didn’t want to spoil the moment with his own grunts. He wanted to listen to her. Only her.

Hana pulled the pillow away and resumed to use her fingers. One hand had the middle finger buried inside her folds while her other hand pinched her core. Her walls pulsed on her finger and her eyes flutter shut as ecstasy took over her body. She tilted her head back and sobbed, reaching bliss. Laying on her back languidly, her hands wandered on her belly, moving up to her neck as she savored the afterglow.

On the other side of the wall, Drake walked out of the janitor closet and heaved a sigh. He has thought about her often, still, his attraction to her was more of a platonic passion than a real desire. He surely didn’t expect to hear Hana in a moment of self-pleasure. This is certainly an experience that would change things between them.


End file.
